Avengers Reunited
by iceycubes
Summary: My take on Avengers 4. They'll do anything to right what happened, but it's going to mean becoming a team again. Leans more towards Thor and Scott focus (with hurt! of course) because they're my favorite. However, everyone is involved because it's still an Avengers fic and all the characters are great! Multi-chapter, emotion, and action! **SPOILERS FOR ANT MAN AND THE WASP LATER*
1. Chapter 1

The days following the "snap" were organized chaos. Everyone had been helping with the immediate fallout in whatever way they could. Crucial steps. Facilitating communication to help keep the world from collapsing into panic. Helping those who lost loved ones. It was tricky, as Thanos had not been picky about who stayed and who disappeared. Many world leaders and people of power were simply gone, leaving their communities to pick up the pieces. Many companies struggled with severe losses in employees, families struggled with immense loss, and the world generally was thrown off balance (ironic considering Thanos' obsession with the concept). But the Avengers did what they could.

Bruce and Rocket worked together to create a space communications device to try and locate survivors, mostly having Tony and the Guardians in mind. So far, they had received no desired response; it was mostly distress signals from unknown planets who had no idea why half their population had disappeared.

Natasha and Steve worked in the city and on finding the rest of the Avengers, managing to contact Clint. Clint had been distraught about losing his wife and a son, ensuring Natasha that he would join them as soon as he could, but what was left of his family came first for now. They also remembered the other brave father on their team that put aside personal gain to help them in Germany- Scott Lang. However, they could not get in touch with the Ant-Man or any of his known associates. They both held on to a vague sense of hope, but the bitter truth was left unspoken. Scott most likely didn't make it through the snap.

Rhodey had helped around the city and then returned to America to take care of matters there, begrudgingly working alongside Ross, half-heartedly joked that Ross would be the one ash pile he'd be happy to see. Shuri had done an excellent job stepping up and creating a plan for her people, even after several somber, resigned protests from herself that her brother should be alive and leading it instead. After things had been taken care of in Wakanda, several of the Avengers utilized the Wakandan technology to make trips to other suffering nations. Needless to say, it had been the busiest few days they've had in a while.

Thor was silently helpful, doing whatever was asked of him. But they begin to notice his growing restlessness and his eventual absence more and more. He would summon the Bifrost and return hours later with a haunted look in his eyes. There seemed to be a storm brewing within him; he was taut with unused energy and every so often lightning would flicker from his skin, threatening to spill over and never stop. They didn't blame him, and no one asked what he was doing. Not that he would tell them anyway. He was very tight lipped about the past two years, and the only one who seemed to know anything was Bruce. But when questioned he would just shake his head and say, "that's for Thor to tell." They knew Thor well enough to assume he was doing something helpful. And with how busy they had all been, they had little time to grieve and really feel their loss, so they let him do what he needed. There was too much to get done, and they couldn't let themselves fall apart when so many still depended on them. But now that things were beginning to calm down as the world slowly began to adapt, the want for avenging was beginning to creep up on the broken group.

And that was how, a week after the dreaded event, the survivors sat in a misshapen circle early in the morning. While still obviously shaken, they all understood they needed to discuss what their next step was and had agreed to meet out on a grassy cliff back in Wakanda. Steve, Banner, and Natasha sat closer than they normally would, as if subconsciously thinking if they too far from each other, something else would happen. Rocket sat opposite of Steve and the rest. Shuri sat at the "head" of the group, Okoye standing dutifully behind her, spear grasped tightly.

Standing off to the side near the edge of the cliff, his fists held tightly at his side, was Thor. His cape shifted gently in the wind and his head was held level, staring out at the mostly healed field where the battle had taken place. His new weapon was nowhere in sight.

Natasha glanced at him, hoping he would join their circle, and let out a sigh. She shifted her position to bring up one of her knees and rested her arm on it.

"So…" she began, "What now?"

She was met with a somber silence, everyone casting their eyes to the ground, except Shuri. She straightened her back a little and spoke clearly, but not quite with her usual muster.

"I appreciate all of your help, Wakanda remains strong because of it. We will continue to rebuild. We will move on. We _must_ move on."

The other gave small smiles as a sign of accepting her thanks.

"Seriously?" Rocket scoffed, "we're just gonna accept this and forget it happened?"

"We will not forget it," Shuri snapped back, "They're gone. Many of my people are gone. My brother is gone, but what else can we do?" Okoye nodded in approval, even though she was still grieving her W'Kabi, who had disappeared along with the rest.

"There has to be something we can do." Steve spoke up, "We can find Thanos, we can fix this."

Natasha laid a hand softly on his shoulder, "Steve…I don't know if this is something that can be fixed. You saw what happened. They just turned to dust. How do they come back from that?"

Steve dropped his shoulders softly, "I don't know."

Shuri shook her head, "I've worked with advanced technology my whole life, but never have I dealt with something like this. A glove that can be used to make half the universe disappear? Aliens? This is all new to me. I do not know if we can turn this around."

Bruce was deep in thought, the corners of his lips pressed together. "What if…what if there is some way to use the stones like Thanos did? In the hands of the good guys, who knows what we would be capable of."

Rocket snorted. "Yeah, you guys haven't tried to control one of them stones. They'll kill you. Nearly killed Quill."

"Quill?" Bruce blinked in confusion.

"Uh-nobody." Rocket sighed. "Point is, those stones aren't just toys for anyone to play around with."

"But if we found someone who could." Bruce urged, "There's a time stone that one of our allies seemed very knowledgeable about. We could fix all of this."

"Even if that was our plan, we have no idea where Thanos or the stones are." Natasha remarked. "Or any idea where to start. He could be anywhere in the galaxy. For all we know, Thor's wound could have killed him after he left. Or he could have destroyed the stones."

Rocket gave a _what she said_ gesture to the rest of the group, who now contemplated this hard truth, suddenly feeling very burnt out. Steve stared at nothing for a few moments, before raising his head to look at Bruce. "Any word from Tony yet?" He was always so good at plans. Steve was their leader, but Tony was their backbone. Even though there had been a glaring rift formed in their friendship, Steve wished he was there with them now. He would be inappropriately cracking jokes and would strike the wrong cord with everyone, but he would also be intelligent and helpful and…he would have a plan.

Bruce shook his head dejectedly without a word.

Steve sighed and put his head into his hands.

"This Tony guy…he's Terran, er-human, right?" Rocket asked.

Bruce confirmed his question with a nod, so Rocket continued, "It's been like a week. You guys ever think maybe he wasn't so lucky?"

"You don't know him," Steve breathed evenly. "Tony's smart enough to get himself out of any no-win situation."

Rocket raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, no offense, I'm just saying. Thanos is the toughest there is. He's _human_ and went to a foreign planet to face him. Even if the purple idiot didn't finish him off, whose to says he wasn't one of the unlucky ones who-"

"Enough." Okoye demanded, "you speak so freely of his death because you didn't know him. Have some respect, raccoon."

Rockets fur on the nape of his neck rose as he snarled, "Don't call me that, lady! I'm just being reasonable! All of you ain't the only one whose lost someone."

No one really knew this newcomer that well, but they quickly picked up on the fact that he had an attitude. Tensions were high at the moment and everyone had a reason to be upset, but they shouldn't be arguing. And Rocket knew that, but he could feel himself getting angry. And he knew it was because he lost his oldest friend, he knew it was because he didn't know what happened to the rest of his family, and he knew he was covering up his loss with feigned animosity. But he didn't stop.

"I'm sitting around, wasting my time with people I hardly know, when _my_ friends are still out there! I could get a spaceship and be out there looking, but you got me playing with radios all day and helping people who never did a thing for me!"

"No one is stopping you from leaving." Shuri retorted, narrowing her eyes.

Rocket looked hurt for a split second, the loss and hopelessness briefly leaching into his expression, then he opened his mouth to fire back when suddenly a drop of water splashed onto Rockets' nose. The hair on his neck settled, as he glanced up at the sky. Shuri blinked and held out her hand, palm up. Several more drops came, very slowly, like a slight drizzle.

"Strange…it does not rain in the city." She pondered the anomaly out loud, eyes still to the sky. The others knew she was alluding to the strong barrier surrounding their walls. The sky grew darker as storm clouds rolled in.

Before anyone could offer an answer, the storm broke, and the rain turned into a heavy downpour. All of them perked up in surprise, their nerves still shot from the battle earlier.

"What is going on?!" shouted Okoye, looking around in confusion, her hands in a defensive position.

Steve squinted his eyes at the pouring rain, and then turned around towards their one friend who had a special connection to the weather.

With his back still to them and standing completely still, was Thor. The rain seemed to be coming down around him, slightly missing him and keeping him dry. The wind had picked up, whipping Steve's hair in their faces and making it even more difficult to see. While Thor remained frozen at the center of the intense rain, his cape whipped wildly around him.

"Thor! Stop!" Steve shouted over the storm, his voice barely carrying. Worry gnawed at his stomach, wondering if something was wrong. The others barely heard Steve over the wind and rain, suddenly realizing that Thor was at the center of the sudden storm.

He motioned for Bruce and quickly made his way over to the unresponsive God, bracing himself against the blistering wind and rain. "Thor!" he shouted again, this time close enough to be heard, "What is it!?"

Bruce stepped in and waved his head slowly in front of Thor's face, shouting so his voice could be heard, "Thor, buddy, I need you to calm down." Thor diverted his attention towards Bruce, but the storm didn't let up. Bruce hesitantly placed his hand on Thor's back, praying he wouldn't be shocked. Even though there wasn't any lightning flickering about, he still hesitated. To his relief, he wasn't hurt. "You're freaking out the others, what's going on?"

No answer, just more rain and distant thunder, and a devastated God. Bruce took a deep breath and pushed gently on Thor's shoulder, guiding him to his knees slowly, getting him into a comfortable sitting position. He kept his hand on his shoulders as a notion of comfort, so Thor would know someone was there.

"We're here Thor. It's alright."

Immediately, as if a flip had switched, the sky cleared itself of the dark, harrowing clouds, the rain ceased, and the persistent rumble dissipated. Bruce watched the skies clear with awe, and then returned his attention to the man in front of him. Thor was staring at him, his different colored eyes clouded with confusion.

"I….I'm sorry." Thor whispered, his voice sounded broken and overwhelmed with grief. "I don't know what came over me." Thor took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Bruce waited, wondering if he would say anymore. Instead, Bruce noticed tears forming in the corner of Thor's one-real eye. As the silence stretched on, he resorted to slowly moving his hand in comforting circles on his back. He didn't need to explain himself right now. Bruce cast a glance at Steve, whose eyebrows were furrowed with worry, and made a gesture towards the rest of the group. Steve opened his mouth as if to ask something, but Bruce mouthed _later_ and started to whisper to Thor in a hushed tone.

The others all looked at each other, completely confused at what had just happened. Rocket shook himself, splaying rain drops everywhere as he groaned in distaste at the sudden shower. The rest had their arms wrapped tightly around their bodies as they were now completely soaked to the bone. Although they were worried about their friend, they appreciated the break in the tension. No one had liked where the conversation was going.

Steve headed back to the group, throwing up a weary hand signal to stay where they are as they started to move towards him.

He returned to them and whispered low out of respect for Thor, "I don't really know what's going on, but Bruce is talking to him. Maybe it's best we just leave the guy alone for now. It seems like he didn't mean to do that, but uh-" he scratched the back of his head, "I think he's pretty overwhelmed and hasn't been releasing any of that pent-up energy. I think some of it just escaped."

"He did that by accident? Because he was feeling _upset_?" Rocket guffawed. Natasha rolled her eyes and Steve shot him a look. "What's with the look? I'm just glad he's on our side." He shrugged.

The others frowned slightly, glancing at the two hunched over forms near the cliff in sympathy. No one, except Bruce, knew exactly what Thor had been up to the past few years. But it had certainly been a shock when the Asgardian joined the fight with a tree and raccoon to turn the tide: Mjolnir nowhere in sight and instead gripping an axe, blonde locks cut off, a long scar on his face, and mismatched eyes. He was almost unrecognizable; and some of them wondered if they would have even made the connection that this was their close friend if it weren't for the unmistakable deep voice and lightning he wielded. It was so easy to forget how powerful and alien Thor was. Maybe because he looked so human, they could disassociate from that fact. The fact that they had an actual Norse god among them who could create storms from nothing. An immortal who had been around for over a thousand years. An immortal who was obviously hurting more than he was letting on. Natasha and Steve exchanged determined glances, an unspoken agreement between them that they would get to the bottom of Thor's small breakdown.

"We have a lot to think about." Steve muttered. "We'll talk later today…I think collecting the stones might be a good idea."

The group decided to stick around Wakanda for the rest of the day. Which consisted of Rocket throwing the device him and Bruce had made away in frustration when they still couldn't get it to pick up anything important, Thor politely skirting everyone's attempts to talk to him by throwing himself into working with the citizens, and Nat and Steve assisting Shuri with her virtual diplomatic calls.

Around midday, Natasha and Steve were in a large room Shuri had designated as a place they could hang out in. Even though they hadn't stayed in Wakanda every day since the event, they often found themselves coming back here to recuperate. It felt homelier than the empty Avengers facility. It was new and beautiful and not full of memories of Vision cooking terrible food, Wanda's laugh, or Falcon's smart remarks, like the facility was. They were exhausted, having gotten very little sleep the last few days. Even if they did not have duties, neither were sure they would be able to sleep anyway. But the human body could only hold out for so long before exhaustion set in (even Avengers have to sleep). So, they found themselves laying on the couches, dozing off and occasionally mumbling to each other, about anything they could think of that didn't have to do with current events. It was nice and even though Natasha knew she couldn't constantly be out there, she felt guilty laying around.

Steve was in the middle of recounting a fond story about Bucky when he noticed her sudden quietness. And by now, he knew her well enough to notice when the former-spy was off. He smiled to himself, wondering when her hard to read expressions became the opposite of that.

"Nat, it's okay. We've worked nonstop the last few days, we can relax for a few hours."

Natasha let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head in surprise. "How'd you know I was thinking that?"

"I'm your friend." He shrugged and smiled warmly.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat, causing both of them to whip their heads around, instantly on the defensive. They both relaxed when they realized it was Thor, his large form leering in the doorway. He had Stormbreaker in his grasp, an unusual sight since he didn't wield it as often as he had with Mjolnir. He walked over to a table and set the axe down, which made the wood creak, so he could join them by the couches. He remained standing though when he addressed them.

"My friends, I must apologize for earlier. I have been…unwell. I only recently discovered my full power within and am not fully in control of it yet. I did not mean to scare you." He sounded so sincere.

Natasha laid her head on the couch rest, "It's fine Thor. We can handle a little shower. Some of us needed it."

Thor shook his head, "No, it was more than that. I have not been assisting you as I should. I've been…distracted by other matters. Matters of my people. In my absence, I have been looking for them. And I let my emotions get the best of me, one of you could have gotten hurt. But the people of Earth are mine to protect too and I would like to offer my complete services now."

Steve furrowed his brows, "Thor, you've _been_ helping. I mean, yeah, you disappear every once in a while. But like you said, you've got 'other matters.' Just yesterday, I heard a mother talking about how you comforted her son who lost his brother. Ironically, you've been providing a lot of the human touch. They need stuff like that, we can handle the politics and technicalities. You don't need to explain yourself."

Thor smiled, despite feeling just as guilty. It was a very small smile, barely reaching his eyes, but a smile none the less. He clapped his hand onto Steve's shoulder, his eyes conveying his thanks that words couldn't express. Steve couldn't help but feel somber at the fact that such a small notion of kindness seemed to touch the God so much. But emotions were certainly amplified at the moment, so he understood.

"What do you mean powers within?" Natasha pondered out loud, breaking Steve from his thoughts.

"Ah!" Thor took his hand off of Steve's shoulder and put it in front of them, crouching down a little so his fisted hand was at their eye level. His positioned his palm towards the ceiling and slowly uncurled his fingers. "I've always been able to make rain, but…" As he uncurled them, small sparks of electricity traversed his skin. "I always thought my power came from the hammer. My father informed me it was always been inside me. I am not the God of Hammers after all." He laughed a dry laugh at that statement.

Steve and Natasha watched his hand carefully in wonder.

"Whoa…" Steve breathed, almost wanting to reach out and touch it.

"That's great, Thor." Natasha said genuinely, but unable to stop a small yawn from escaping her mouth. She covered it and apologized quietly. But Thor just closed his hand into a fist again, causing the sparks to flatten out and he rose to his full height.

"I'll let you continue your sleep!" He said understandingly and turned to leave. "We shall speak later!" He waved them goodbye and made his way out the doorway.

Steve and Natasha watched him go, offering a small wave in return to his retreating form. They both looked at each other, feeling a little less worried about the God, and then nuzzled into their respective couches to get some much-needed rest.

When Steve and Natasha awoke, it was 3 hours later, and the sun was beginning to creep low in the sky, with washed out sunlight creeping through the windows. The voices that had awakened them belonged to Rocket and Bruce, who were loudly discussing something in the hallway. They both entered the room, and the half-asleep Steve caught some science-y words he didn't understand as he rubbed his eyes, letting out a yawn. Natasha was awake instantly, snapping her head up and narrowing her eyes at the two intruders.

Bruce stopped at her burning gaze, smiling sheepishly, while Rocket kept obliviously talking as he made his way to the corner of the room that housed a small kitchen.

"I'm telling you," he insisted, as he struggled to open the large door on the fridge to peer inside, "we'd have a much better chance if we start from scratch- "

"Rocket, Jesus, can you keep it down." Steve groaned.

"Sorry sleeping beauty, this is a public room." Rocket reached for the milk carton, grabbing it and lugging it over to the table. He nabbed the box of open cereal someone had left out and hoisted himself up into a chair and placed his "meal" in front of him. "Did Bruce tell you about Paprika yet?"

Natasha immediately changed from annoyed to curious as she shook her head, "What?"

"You know, Tony's girlfriend. She contacted Bruce since you weren't picking up." Rocket raised his eyebrows at her as he noisily poured the breakfast food into a bowl. She cursed and glanced at her phone laying across the room. She was normally diligent about keeping in contact and always being on alert, but these past few days have put her a little off her game.

"I was just about to tell her that." Bruce huffed. "Pepper managed to get through the communication barrier. She's alive." He sounded pained, even though it was happy news. They could all assume it wasn't fun having to explain that Tony was still missing.

Behind them, Okoye and Shuri entered the room. Shuri looked more tired than she had that morning, but she hid it well, still taking her strides confidentially. Okoye stood to the side, her signature spear gripped in her right hand. Shuri took a deep breath and looked around the room, taking in the overworked group of people in front of her.

"Thank you all again for your help." She shifted a little uncomfortably and looked around the room again as if she was looking for someone. "I think it's time we continued our conversation from earlier today before we were…interrupted."

Rocket dropped his spoon into his bowl, "Yes, thank you. I would very much like to continue the conversation about getting off our asses and doing something that actually matters- like kicking Thanos's-"

Before anyone could say anything else, an alarm sounded.

"Oh, come on!" Rocket groaned.

Okoye and Shuri shifted their attention to their bracelets that were making alarm sounds. They opened the bead, and Okoye grunted in fury. "There are unidentified ships approaching." She frantically tapped her bracelet.

Immediately, Natasha's' stomach dropped. The last thing they needed was another fight. The other Avengers shifted into defensive stances, looking to Steve out of habit. But before anyone could start making a fight plan, a soft voice spoke up.

"Do not worry." They all jumped, swiveling around to see Thor standing in the doorway. He walked towards the massive window, his boots echoing off the walls. The others followed his gaze and noticed three medium sized ships landing outside the barrier. They were…ugly, in a loose sense of words: square shaped and solid purple and red in color, looking like a 5-year-old had painted them. They landed roughly, looking like they had been through the wringer multiple times.

Shuri stepped forward, demanding answers "What is the meaning of this? Who are they?" as Okoye turned away to call off any attacks or alarms from the rest of the city, mumbling something about outsiders.

"Thor…?" Natasha asked softly, eyeing the spaceships with apprehension. She expected him to turn to her, looking weary and tired. But instead, he turned to her wearing the biggest grin she had ever seen on him. And after days of broken, lost Thor, this was quite the sight. In his hand was the device that Rocket and Bruce had been working with to no avail, the same device that Rocket had angrily tossed in the trash earlier that day. He widened his grin, barely able to contain his excitement.

"I found some friends."

"Which _friends_?" Steve questioned, unable to hide the little bit of excitement starting to blossom.

"Why did you not tell me someone was coming?" Shuri crossed her arms angrily, cutting off Steve's inquiry, "I could have blasted them out of the sky, silly man!" She was scolding him, but it was a soft scolding that she didn't actually mean anything by.

Thor lowered his head in respect, "I apologize, fair Queen. I only recently arrived and came immediately to inform you."

Shuri groaned, knowing that meant there was yet another circle filled with strange symbols burned into her grass somewhere. She turned on her heel, "I am making you a phone!" she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room to gather some of the council to greet the newcomers. Thor grinned in return, whispering to Natasha, "I would never use it."

"Um- which friends?" Steve spoke up again, waving his hand to get the attention back on him.

Thor gestured for everyone to follow Shuri out of the room, "My people. And someone special." He winked.

Steve looked back at Natasha, a little besmirched. Why were his people here? He glanced at Bruce, who also had a grin plastered on his face, meaning he had an idea who was here. Thor had done a complete 180° since they'd last seen him, meaning it must be something pretty good. Of course, nothing could ever mask the immense loss and pain they all felt, but they could all use some good news right now. A small drop of excitement stirred in Steve's stomach as he also left the room, Natasha following closely behind.

"So dramatic, just tell us who it is, I swear…" grumbled Rocket, as he followed the rest of the group.

When they caught up to Shuri and Thor, they were engrossed in conversation as they stepped onto a levitating vehicle, similar to the ones that had been used for the battle. It contained several other extravagantly dressed people, all who were excitedly chattering in their language. It seemed like the ships had caused quite a stir among the city, several citizens peeking out to see what was happening.

"This is one of the finest Midgardian places I've ever seen! Truly amazing!" Thor grinned widely, clapping his hands together. "Truly worthy to call home."

"Oh no, you're not buttering me up!" Shuri smirked back.

"I would be forever in your debt if you allowed my people to stay here, only for a little." Thor continued earnestly. "They would be of great help; my people have suffered but they are strong."

Shuri twisted her lip and looked up in thought. "Hmm. I don't know, I don't think we have enough room."

Thor frowned, worry tugging at the corners of his lips. "But, this city is huge-"

"She's playing with you." Okoye rolled her eyes fondly, "of course she won't turn people in need away. It's what her brother preached."

Shuri snapped her eyes towards Okoye, a little taken aback by the comparison, but then smiled in thanks. "Yes, of course your people can stay here." She addressed Thor, lightly touching his shoulder. "They can stay as long as they need."

Thor broke out in a grin again. "Great!" He resisted the urge to crush her into a hug, "I guess I should mention that we Asgardians eat a _lot._ "

Steve, Natasha, Rocket, and Bruce carefully hopped onto the floating vehicle. Steve craned his neck to look into the distance, noticing that the ships doors were beginning to open and people filed out. It wasn't a large amount of people, but enough to look like a small crowd. He couldn't imagine that this was all of Asgard, wasn't it an entire planet? The vehicle groaned to life and after a shout of "Steady!" began to barrel towards the outer barrier.

Bruce made his way to the front, placing a hand on Thors shoulder to both indicate his presence and brace himself from the moving vehicle. Thor grinned at him, "Bruce!" this time he didn't stop himself from the urge to hug, and enveloped Bruce, causing his feet to leave the ground for a few seconds. He dropped Bruce who let out an _oof_ and steadied himself. Thor put his hands on both his shoulders and leaned down slightly. "Valkyrie made it…she made it." He grinned. Bruce smiled back at him, excited to see the beautiful, strong warrior again.

Natasha, Steve, and Rocket were feeling very out of the loop and looked at each other in confusion. The vehicle hummed to a stop, and Steve was able to squint his eyes through the dimming light of sunset, trying to identify the ' _special person'_ Thor had mentioned in the crowd of people.

The group respectfully let the Wakandan royalty off first, as Shuri spoke into her bracelet, ordering the barrier gate to be opened. After a groan, the blueish barrier began to form a passage for them to pass, in a chillingly similar fashion to when they had to focus the Outlanders attention. As it became more open, they noticed a woman step forward though the crowd. She was dressed in grey and gold, with a blue cape billowing behind her. Her long, brown hair hung loosely on her shoulders. She had recently been in battle, as evident by the small tears in her cape and the flaws in her armor. Behind her was a large blue man who seemed to be made of rock, who was holding a slimy looking creature in his arms. All around them, a variety of people who looked like humans dressed in medieval clothing stood nervously, taking in the strange forest they had set foot in.

"So…these are Asgardians?" Steve thought aloud, as he took in the mostly normal looking group of people in front of him.

Steve and Natasha watched with curiosity as Thor and Bruce stepped forward, several feet between him and the woman. For a few seconds, they simply stared, as if not believing they were really in front of each other. Then, Thor and the woman strode forward in long, quick steps, and embraced each other. They exchanged some words, then Thor began talking excitedly to the rock man, as the woman moved to Bruce to hug him tightly too.

Shuri cleared her throat. "Welcome to Wakanda, Asgardians. I believe you are in need of a home, and Wakanda has opened its borders to those in need. Please, come in." She gestured to the group that still hung wearily outside the barrier, not yet passing through the opening like the woman and Rock man had so eagerly.

The woman with the blue cape raised her hand halfway, as if in a classroom. "Thanks Queen. It's me, uh- Valkyrie. If I may, we have a few who are injured, and this hunk of space junk didn't have many useful supplies. Also, I need several drinks because it has been a _long_ week." She spoke with an accent similar to Thor's: strange and hard to place.

Shuri twitched her lip, suppressing a smile, obviously liking this girl already. "Of course, you'll find our healers to be the best in the world."

"In all the nine realms!" Thor agreed, throwing her a thumbs-up.

Shuri let the smile form, forgetting that these normal-looking people were from a different planet all together, and that aliens did in fact exist.

"Good!" Valkyrie cheered. "'Cus he really needs it" she jabbed her thumb backwards, to bring their attention to the creaking bed that was being rolled out of the ship by a strange looking, blue person. An unmoving figure was laying on it, their face turned away from the gathered group. They heard Rocket exclaim in surprise, taking a step forward and then stopping himself. His eyes widened as he choked out the name "Nebula…really?" But Steve and Natasha were too frozen to really care why he was so taken aback or who he was talking about. Steve's stomach twisted, feeling suddenly nauseous. Even with the face turned away, he and Natasha couldn't mistake that glowing light in the center of the bodies chest.

"Tony…" he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

The next hour was a whirlwind. Steve felt his head still swimming from seeing Tony's lifeless looking form being rolled out. He had known that he was alive, based on Valkyries declaration that he needed a _healer,_ not a _mortician._ But for a second, his worst fear seemed true. He had to push down the raising concern for Tony as he was immediately wheeled off to medical and Steve had to shake hands with the newcomers who were strong enough to not need medical attention. He met Valkyrie (he immediately liked her), the rock man- Korg (who was actually a giant softie), Meek (who didn't say much except make weird noises), and about 50 Asgardians. Steve gulped as he realized 50 people wasn't exactly enough for an entire planet and wondered exactly where the rest of them were. After Thor and Bruce recovered from seeing their friend half dead, they were actually quite in a good mood. Both he and Bruce spent the rest of the night with the newcomers. Setting up their camps, catching up, and just being genuinely happy that they were all alive. Rocket had disappeared most of the night, along with the strange blue woman that had said literally nothing to them since they landed. Apparently, Thor had managed to get into contact with Valkyrie, who had left with several Asgardians on escape pods when Thanos attacked their ship. She had camped out deep in the galaxy, keeping her word to Thor that she would keep what remained of their species alive. Along the way, the ships had broken down for several days. By the time they were in working order, they had received a distress signal from the blue girl- _Nebula was her name._ They found a decimated planet, several piles of ash, a furious woman, and Tony with a stab wound in his abdomen and brought him home, finishing the course to Earth they had previously planned. Once they were close enough, they picked up contact with Thor and received the coordinates for Wakanda. Things couldn't have turned out better, and Steve was incredibly thankful for Valkyries diligence and will.

But now that things had settled, and the Asgardians were all set up; Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Thor found themselves huddled in a small hallway with only two chairs outside the room where Tony was being patched up. It was getting very late, around 2 in the morning and they were all exhausted. But they couldn't sleep until they knew Tony was okay. Natasha and Bruce sat in the chairs, while Thor and Steve sat leaned up against the wall.

Inside the room, Shuri was finishing up, shaking her head at the sheer amount of people she had healed this week. It was beginning to become overwhelming. As the now Queen, she knew she could entrust this duty entirely to others, but she couldn't bring herself to _not_ help. She leaned over Tony and opened his eyelid to check his response to light; when she confirmed he was fine, she turned towards the electronic screen that was keeping track of his vitals. His red blood count was better after the blood transfusions, and his temperature and breathing rate were normal. She began to assess a few other markers of health when a small groan behind her caught her attention and she turned slowly towards her patient. He was looking at her through half lidded eyes, a sleepy expression on his face.

"Who'r you" he mumbled. He wasn't immediately defensive or weary, he just seemed confused.

"I am the one who saved your life." She turned and tapped a few buttons on the screen to check some other vitals.

"Wasn't aware I was dying…" he raised his hand to observe it. "M' really tired."

"You had a stab wound."

Tony grimaced, "Aw that. Come on… I fixed it myself pretty well."

Shuri rolled her eyes. "Just because you close up the external wound doesn't mean your organs are fine after being _spliced up._ "

"Mm..m'know that." Tony's said sleepily, his little strength already sapping. "Doesn't mean I couldn't hope it wouldn't be true."

Shuri scoffed. "You were very lucky. You were found and kept alive." Her look softened, as she stopped her work. "There are some people outside who would like to see you."

But Tony had closed his eyes all the way, completely oblivious to anything she had just said, partly due to exhaustion setting in and partly from the pain medication currently being administered through his IV.

Shuri half smiled, and then grabbed the blanket to pull it up over him. She then stepped through the doorway, not surprised at the group struggling to stay awake outside. "He is going to be fine." Shuri confirmed the worried Avengers, who all looked up at her in surprise and let out a sigh of relief. "He needs sleep but will recover." The others thanked her profusely, and she brushed off the thanks, claiming it was nothing. She then moved on to help the medical staff with the injured Asgardians. But not without glancing back sadly at the group who were lucky enough to have their friend survive. She closed her eyes briefly, wondering if her brother was watching her from the Ancestral Plane. If he was proud of her. If he had even gone there, given his unusual death. She opened her eyes, and shook herself, knowing there were many others who needed her.

After she left, the group sat in silence, staring at the door that held their friend they had started to slowly assume was dead.

"It might be best…if Tony doesn't wake up to all of us." Bruce starts quietly, unsure of how to word what he was about to say. "It could overwhelm him, and he's injured."

Steve winced internally, knowing what Bruce was hinting at. During their time at the Avengers facility, before things turned to absolute shit, Steve had caught Bruce up on everything he had missed. The Accords, the explosion at the UN, Bucky, his and Tony's fight…Tony's parents. It would probably be best if Tony didn't wake up to someone who had ran his shield through his "heart", literally, right after being stabbed.

"Tony and I weren't on the best terms last time I saw him either." Natasha muttered. "But I'm happy to see he's alive. I doubt Tony is still angry. It's been two years, and there's much bigger things at stake now." She raised her eyes pointedly towards Steve.

"You're probably right…" Steve admitted. "But Bruce is also right. We shouldn't agitate him while he's healing. Thor, why don't you check on him?"

Thor's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"

"You're the most neutral out of us all. He's always liked you." Steve commented with a sad smile.

Thor contemplated this for a little, and then nodded. He got up and brushed himself off, striding towards the doorway.

"Uh- me and Tony are pretty good friends?" Bruce said indignantly. But Thor was already through the door, and Steve gave him a small smile and gestured towards the door. Bruce followed Thor through the doorway, glancing back at Steve in feigned annoyance. As soon as they both disappeared, Steve dropped his smile slowly, and then began to head down the hallway back to their designated room. He stopped, and then paced backwards, stopping outside the door, leaning in to try and hear. And then walked again towards the hallway.

"Steve, stop." Nat had her head propped on her hand, leaning against the chair. "It'll be okay."

Steve groaned and plopped down in the chair next to her. He looked at the floor, his body tense.

"Two years. Two years ago, I gave him my number and told him to call anytime. He never oncecalled." He wrung his hands. "He didn't even call when he knew _Thanos_ was coming. Before he went off on a suicide mission. What does that tell you?"

Nat leaned forward, putting her hand around his chin and lifting it up to so he would make eye contact with her. "Steve, none of that matters anymore. Tony will forgive you."

Steve swallowed, gently lifting his head away from her and getting out of his seat. "I hope you're right." He then looked towards the doorway. "Let me know when he wakes up. When he's fully awake, I mean." With that, he turned and finally went all the way down the hallway and out of her sight.

Natasha let out a breath and leaned back in her chair, bringing her knees up to her chest. The last thing they needed was old wounds being dredged up. They were finally starting to pull together some friends, and Tony would be able to give them more information on Thanos. Not that Tony would be overjoyed to see her either, but she knew there was bigger things than his snide remark about her being a double agent.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Thor entered the room. It was a gold color, with white curtains draped over the windows. It was dark outside now, with the only light coming from the lamps. Tony's eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful, his olive skin illuminated by the light. He had a white sheet pulled up to his chest, his arms tucked underneath.

Thor approached him slowly, leaning over the bed to look at his face closely. He looked pretty much the same as when he had last seen him, albeit a little older, with grey tinging the ends of his unusually messy hair. He leaned closer and whispered his name, shaking his shoulder gently.

Tony's eyes shot open, and he almost jumped up, but winced when his wound prevented him from moving too much.

Bruce put his head in his hand, sighing. "Thor, the intention was to _not_ agitate him."

"Oops." Thor shrugged. "Tony, my friend! It's been too long."

"Thor?" Tony calmed down and squinted at him. "Thought you were…dead. Wher've you been? What happn'd to your hair?" Tony said bewildered, but still slurred.

"Oh." Thor exhaled and ran his hand through his hair, "a creepy old man caught it off."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "Damn…can't call you point break anymore." He murmured as his eyes began to slide closed again, bringing his body slowly back to a sleeping position, his breathing evening out into a peaceful sleep. Thor let out a little laugh, and then glanced back at Bruce, who was a little open mouthed.

"Wow, he's more knocked out than I thought. He was awake for a minute tops…we should probably come back later."

Thor nodded in agreement, fixing the sheet that had been crumpled at Tony's movement. Thor left the room to inform the rest of the group that Tony was far too tired to coherently talk with them and frankly they were all sleep deprived, while Bruce marveled at the advanced vitals screen. He hesitantly tapped on a file that detailed his condition and read it, the worry tensing up his every muscle beginning to fade as he read Shuri's positive notes. Content, he exited out of the file and sat in the chair next to Tony's bed. He studied his sleeping face, wishing he weren't too weak to stay awake.

Suddenly, a certain red head popped into his mind.

"Oh my god." He nearly slapped himself in the forehead as he frantically fumbled in his pockets for his phone, excited to finally bring some good news to Pepper.

Two days later, most of which consisted of Tony sleeping and recovering, the original Avengers were situated at a large table used for meals. Tony had made a wonderful recovery and was sitting in a chair, although Shuri had warned him not to push too hard or he'd end up back under her care. She made it very clear how little she wanted that. Most of the Avengers, sans Bruce, didn't know the specifics of his injury. But they knew he'd been stabbed, and that being stabbed definitely wasn't good. Nevertheless, they were happy to be currently residing in one of the most technically advanced places on Earth. They were all forever indebted to the Queen and were happy to hear that she was finally resting after nearly collapsing after very little sleep, food, and water.

Steve and Tony had not spoken to each other ever since last night when Tony was awake enough to remember their fight. Steve sat on the opposite end of the table, his head propped on his hands and his leg bouncing nervously. He made brief eye contact with Tony, who held it for a beat before averting his eyes and joking with Bruce next to him. Steve bit his lip and thought back to their first conversation when Tony had woken up. It hasn't been terrible. But it hasn't been great either. Just….weird.

" _Tony."_

 _The conversation ended abruptly, Tony in the middle of cracking a joke at the expense of Thors haircut. Tony turned his head, taking in the sight of a very different looking Steve Rogers hunched at the doorway. Behind him sat Thor and Bruce, and in the corner of the room was Natasha. She had obviously snuck her way back onto Tony's good side. That, or she just didn't care to complicate things and made it clear she was going to be in that room whether Tony liked it or not._

 _Steve swallowed and stepped forward. "It's good to see you, Tony. You look good."_

 _Tony narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Yeah...you too. Nice beard. Being on the run really suits you."_

 _Before Steve could respond to the hidden jab, Bruce interrupted. "-uh Tony just woke up about a half hour ago and is still catching up a little. But I called Pepper and she's coming. It's a long trip and she had some loose ends at the company to tie up. Lot of slack to pick up on when half your staff-er- anyway she'll be here in a few days, more or less."_

 _Tony lit up at the mention of Pepper. The relief he felt when he learned she was okay almost overwhelmed him. He knew she'd be pissed about the whole leaving Earth on a flying donut thing, but right now he just wanted to hold her._

" _That's...really great. I'm glad she's coming." Steve managed to smile._

 _Tony nodded back at him. "Yeah Rogers. It is great."_

 _There was a tense silence following that statement. Until Thor began lamenting about his new space friends, telling Tony he had to meet the talking rabbit who liked gadgets like he did. Steve watched, the worry of seeing Tony again gnawing at him and getting worse the longer he stood there. He could feel Tony not wanting him there. So, he read the room and left without a word._

"So, Thor, you going to tell us why Asgard just showed up at our doorstep after picking me up from the middle of nowhere?" Tony shifted in his chair, wincing a little as he tried not to disturb his healing wound. His proposition tore Steve from his thoughts and brought him back to the present. Tony had previously caught Thor up on their little "Civil War" but had mostly focused on the governmental divide. He left out the part where he learned Bucky killed his parents and then proceeded to beat the ever-loving shit out of his then good friend. Bruce whispered to Steve that he was going to tell Thor that part later. It just felt wrong to air that out and revisit such a brutally tender moment in front of everyone right now.

Thor's expression immediately darkened after the inquiry. He put his hands together and leaned forward on the table.

"Yes. I suppose that I have a lot to catch you all up on. It was one hell of a week."

"Week? Thor, you've been gone two years." Steve tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes, that was full of mostly uneventful things like battling Trolls and I did learn how to play the harp from a Fossegrimen. Just generally kept peace in the Realms. Unimportant."

"Oh yes, unimportant." Tony snickered.

"Alright Thor, we're ready to hear it." Natasha put her hand on his shoulder and gave a side smile.

Thor grimaced a little and looked around at his friends. He was about to recount the most difficult time in his entire 1500 years of existence. He didn't know exactly where to start and if he was mentally prepared for the task. But his friends deserved to know what had happened. These were most of his first Midgardian friends, the ones who had bravely fought beside him all those years ago despite their mortality. And fate had brought them back together again. He took a deep breath and began his story.

"It started after I had defeated a giant hell monster who was prophesized to destroy Asgard. Upon my return home, I found out that Loki had banished my father and was posing as him and watching a play he wrote-"

"Loki!?" Several of them cried out.

"A PLAY" Tony laughed.

"Yes, Loki." Thor's eyes grew fond as he let a small smile spread across his lips. His heart ached, but he had to keep going, as his friends did not know of his untimely death yet. "He's a terrible playwright. It was truly horrendous." He sniffed sadly.

"Wait, wait. Loki? As in 'you told us he was dead' Loki?" Tony questioned slowly.

"Yes." Thor repeated, slowly, obviously a sore spot for him, so no one pried further. "Anyway, I revealed him, and he took me to Earth to find our Father. But Loki had placed him in what was now a pile of bricks. So, this caped wizard man showed us where he was-"

At the mention of a wizard, Tony perked up, the confused expression on his face replaced by curiosity. "Wizard? Was he a tallish guy with a living red cape who makes orange circles appear? And a goatee that he totally stole from me?"

"Yes, the very one! He was an admirable ally. Took me right to my father." Thor smiled at the memory of him constantly changing rooms to disorient the God.

"Oh…hm." Tony laid back down, grunting a little. "Guess he really isn't so bad after all." He didn't say anything else but looked a little lost in thought, a pained expression crossing his face.

"After we found Odin, he turned to golden dust and joined Valhalla, among the other brave warriors. With his death, my sister I did not know I had, she's the Goddess of Death, was able to rise from her sleep. She destroyed my hammer and, as we tried to escape, cast us out of the Bifrost where I landed on a trash planet and was captured and made a slave." He finished and paused.

The others were dumbstruck, except Bruce who was nervously fiddling with his shirt tail, obviously not looking forward to the next part.

They all erupted with questions at the same time, but Thor held up a hand. "Please, let me finish. I wish to get through this quickly." As he finished speaking, a small spark of electricity, barely noticeable, jumped from his hands, fizzling out within seconds but alerting them to his internal struggle with this story. He was obviously trying to keep it light, but they all understood this must be painful to relive.

"I was forced to fight their champion in an arena; that's where I found Bruce!" Natasha raised her eyebrow and looked at Bruce, who was looking at his lap. "We fought, he cheated ("Hey!" Bruce exclaimed), we escaped to Asgard through the Devil's Anus, where we fought Hela. She took my eye," he gestured to his eye that was now brown instead of his normal blue, "Bruce fought a wolf, I sent Loki to initiate Ragnarok, which then killed my evil sister and Asgard, but spared my people's lives."

"Wait-Asgard is gone?" Tony whispered.

"I'm not finished, there's more." Thor spoke softly and sadly, he was looking down at the table, his hands fidgeting. He lifted his head to gaze at Brue, who gave him a remorseful look. He faintly heard "Tony I swear if you interrupt one more time I'm going to stab you again" from Nat in the background.

"I trusted Loki with such an important task, and he did it. He didn't let me down and our people were saved because of him. But within hours of this. Hours of finally reconciling with my brother, hours of my people losing their homes, Thanos found us. He killed half my people. He stabbed my best friend. He destroyed the Tesseract like it was made of paper and stole the Space Stone. He- "Thor's voice caught in his throat. "Thanos snapped Loki's neck because he tried to kill him. And then he blew up our ship. When I awoke, I was with Rocket and his friends. He gave me this new eye, I went to forge a new weapon, and here we are." By the time he was finished, there was a glint of tears in his eye. He slowly wiped it away and refused to make eye contact with the rest of his friends. But if he had looked up, he would be met with a sea of concerned gazes.

No one knew what to say. There was nothing to say that could make this right. They had all lost so much, but no one had realized just _how_ much Thor had lost. They thought all the disappearing acts, all the quiet evenings he spent sitting alone, all the solemn walks he would take, all the times he barely spoke. The storm that had broken earlier. It all made sense now. No one quite understood Loki and Thors relationship either. They would all gladly line up to strangle the villain who brought war to their planet. But Thor seemed to care very deeply for his brother. And based on the story, Loki had helped saved his people. He had stood up to Thanos instead of joining him. Their hearts broke for their friend; they understood his grief and suffering.

Surprisingly, it was Tony that moved his hand slowly to the god's shoulder. He placed his hand there and squeezed gently.

"You still got us, buddy." Tony gave him a sad smile. "You're not alone…and you can't blame yourself. We all lost someone. We all couldn't save everyone. We all couldn't protect the universe. But we're damn sure going to _avenge_ it."

Thor smiled back thankfully, but sadness and pain still clouded his eyes. "Thank you, Stark. That means a lot to me."

Around the table, the others offered consolidations and words of encouragement. They were all still a little in shock about the multiple tragedies he endured in such a short amount of time. But, they offered whatever words they felt best, feeling protective of their friend. Thor looked around the table in appreciation, nodding slightly to everyone as they spoke. He wiped a hand casually by his eye again, sniffing and straightening up. "Thank you everyone. Your friendship means more than you know." He turned to Tony. "Why don't you recount the events of Titan? Maybe it will help us determine how to defeat the mad man?"

Tony grimaced, slowly peeling his hand off of Thors shoulder. "Yeah…yeah, good idea. I don't know if it will help. Boy, there's so much to tell but also nothing to tell. I guess it started on Earth. I was with Pepper, discussing…things. And that wizard guy you talked about showed up. His name is Stephen Strange and he protects the Time stone. I also met up with Bruce there and one of Strange's wizard buddies. They informed me about Thanos and his obsession with collecting these stones. I-." He paused, shifting his eyes towards Steve at the other end of the table. He was listening intently and blinked a little in surprise when Tony looked at him. "I was about to call Steve to ask him where Vision was. So we could protect the Mind stone and his life."

After those words left his mouth, he glanced away from Steve and instead focused his gaze on the rest of the Avengers. Steve was a little in shock but didn't show any outward signs of it. Tony had just confessed he thought of calling Steve. When Steve thought Tony hadn't even considered him. A little flower of hope bloomed inside him, wondering if maybe Tony wasn't as caught up in their civil war as he previously thought.

"But before I could call, Thanos' children touched down on Earth. I hijacked one of his ships and let it continue its autopilot to Titan. Apparently, it was his home planet before he proposed his crazy genocide idea. They didn't agree with him, and his planet was eventually overused, turned into a barren wasteland." He shook his head and exhaled. "Stephen and some other weirdos tried to help me defeat Thanos on Titan. It…didn't go as we planned. He ended up retrieving the Time stone from Strange."

Tony hesitated, as if deciding how to form his words carefully. In truth, he was battling internally on how much to share. Did they really need to know that Strange only gave it up to save his life? He swallowed thickly and then continued, deciding against it. "After that, he disappeared. I assume that's when he came here, to Wakanda." He shrugged as he finished, seemingly confirming that there wasn't much helpful information.

The others didn't miss the fact that Tony left out the part about how he got stabbed. He left out the part about why this Stephen Strange wasn't with him now, or the other "weirdos." But they could guess what happened. In that moment, they all felt connected through their losses. They all had a reason to keep fighting, they all had a reason to stay strong.

Tony put his elbow on the table and placed his hand under his chin, "I don't know about you guys but recounting all of this makes me _really_ tired and _really_ angry. I'm ready to do something."

"Where would we even start?" Natasha countered logically.

Tony bit his lip. "Okay. On Titan, when we faced him. He mentioned something about watching the sun set on a grateful universe. What a dick, right? That obviously doesn't tell us anything about where exactly he is. But, it does tell me that he's…finished? He didn't seem to have any further plans after 'balancing the universe.' So, he's just sitting on a space rock, finding him could take hundreds of years, even with the advances in space exploration from our racoon friend. And based on what you guys told me about the battle, we don't even know if he's alive or bleeding out somewhere from the _giant axe wound_ in his chest"

The others nodded, waiting for him to get to his point.

"So…if he has, retired, shall we say, then it would be _really_ difficult for us to find him. And he's currently no threat to anyone anymore, so there's no reason to chase him down, except for vengeance of course. There's nothing we can really do in this timeline, right now. So, what's our only option?"

He was met with several beats of silence until Bruce perked up from where he sat. "So, you're saying he might not try to stop us if we tried to fix this. Or tried to…" he furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Tony with the same expression when he asked him to help him create Ultron. "Oh…no Tony. That's a terrible idea."

The others looked from Bruce to Tony in confusion. Only Thor seemed to smile slightly to himself, catching onto what the scientists were alluding to.

Tony quirked his lips into a small side smile. "No, it's not, Bruce. The only way to defeat Thanos is to stop this from ever happening."

Bruce sighed and leaned back in his chair, throwing up his arms in knowing defeat and sighed.

"We're going back in time."


End file.
